“The Port’s Master Plan was awarded the Excellence Award for marrying together robust and broad outreach with sophisticated technical analyses, resulting in a clear plan for the future with detailed implementation strategies,” said Derek Chisholm, APA Louisiana president, in a statement about the award.

The Strategic Master Plan challenges Port NOLA to think more cohesively about growing the vital maritime and hospitality industries, and to consider the supply chain as a whole by harnessing all available multimodal assets – on and off port property, along the Mississippi River and inland waterway system, on the New Orleans Public Belt and six Class I rail network, and via access to interstate highways.

“Our role as a port is to plan, build, support and maintain the infrastructure necessary to grow jobs and economic opportunity for the region, and it is validating to be recognized by the American Planning Association Louisiana Chapter for our efforts,” said Brandy D. Christian, Port of New Orleans president and CEO. “From the beginning, the process was designed to incorporate the interests of our diverse stakeholder groups. We appreciate the valuable feedback we received from more than 2,500 individuals who informed the Strategic Master Plan during its development.”

Port NOLA Forward: A Strategic Master Plan to Exceed the Needs of Tomorrow presents a menu of strategies to optimize current assets and extend the port’s reach across all business lines. The crux of the plan – and a necessary ingredient for its success – is collaborative partnership with a wide range of stakeholders, broadly defined.